BAJG in The Big Apple

I know that this blog often focuses on all things HRH (His Royal Hotness) and his merry band of men. But, there is actually more to my life than just "the boys." For instance, I happen to live in the greatest city in the universe (not my line, I stole that from the aforementioned ...)

One thing about New Yorkers is we live a bit "differently" ... for example, our food groups aren't quite the same as everyone else - ours are eat-in, carry-out, delivery and packaged. Most NYers don't really cook - we assemble and we microwave ... and on a very special day (usually once or twice a year) we actually turn on the oven. For that reason, our grocery stores here tend to be a bit different as well.

In addition to Zabar's (see previous post, Fast-Food NY Style) we have this wonderful miracle called Fairway. Their tagline is "Like No Other Market" ... and it really is true. So, today, after an hour or so of sitting by the river watching the boats go by (one of my favorite New York activities) I decided to do a little grocery shopping. Good considering all I really had in the cabinet was dill and peanut butter!

It had been some time since I was in the Fairway by me (uptown - Harlem) and forgot how absolutely chaotic it can be ... for instance, how after you get your cart, you end up "parking" it in the deli section while you walk around the store picking up what you need and returning back to your cart every once in a while to drop things in. Or how the cheese and olive section is so overwhelming you can just stand there for hours trying to figure out which of the 250 cheeses you'd like (Queenie, of course I ended up with some havarti LOL.)

But, my favorite is "the cold room" ... the incredibly huge room that serves as a giant refrigerator where they keep all the dairy, meat, beers, soda, etc. Just imagine a whole floor of your house as a walk-in refrigerator, complete with literally 5 AISLES of different milk products - organic, non-organic, soy, lactose-free, flavored, non-flavored, anything you could possibly want or need -- all in small, medium and large sizes. On a really hot day it probably feels pretty nice to walk around in there, but it can get downright frosty! Good thing the nice folks at Fairway have these "beautiful" grey puffy jackets hanging on hooks by the door so you can grab one before you go in! :-)

So, what does this all have to do with Jon Bon Jovi? Well, nothing ... except that I hope that even though his lifestyle is a bit different than the typical Manhattanite, that he has the opportunity to experience a little slice of Big Apple life. It really is "like no other" ...

P.S. Oh after all that ... what's for dinner? Olives, cheese, grapes, salad and some challah. And for dessert, a personal favorite - raspberry Cabernet sorbet. (I know a particular Fiction Mistress who would like that ...)

Bon Jovi: When We Were (Still Are) Beautiful

Here's a sneak peek at the new documentary ... if you missed my reviews from the Tribeca Film Festival, you can read them here and here.




P.S. Don't miss the new poll featuring the Jon Bon Jovi/John Elway commercials ...

Still Lamenting the Loss of My Soul ...

Hey there ... happy Monday ... ugh! Hope y'all had a great weekend. I spent mine hanging with the Fictionistas here in New York City. I believe a great time was had by all - lots of wine, tequila, laughing and talk about life, "the boys" and the tour.

But now onto the new poll ... (I LOVE this one!)

Well, pre-season football is in full swing now (GO GIANTS!) which means "the real" season is just around the corner...FINALLY some football. So, this means spending the next several months of Sundays (and most Mondays) cheering, jeering, eating all your favorite bad foods and screaming at the television. Woo hoo!

But, that doesn't mean that I have forgotten about the loss of the Soul and the AFL at all! So, in honor of all things football, here we go.

Up first is the Vegas/AFL promo commercial ... gotta love Jon Bon Jovi in a powder blue suit ...



And next ... the magnificent "Rumble in the House" ... that look right before he closes the door ... ooh gets me every time ... and the "think your wife's gonna notice that?" line, classic!



I really couldn't choose one over the other ... can you?

Just Remember ...

Greetings Jovinuts! Sorry I have been a little slow in posting lately. Work has been BRUTAL. Also, I was weary of moving that "Not Fade Away" video too far down the front page for fear Fiction Mistress would hunt me down. (just kidding...actually she's gonna be here in The Big Apple this weekend ... woo hoo!)

Ok ... "We Weren't Born to Follow" is growing on me. I was actually singing it on the subway on the way to work this morning ... I found that quite ironic considering the mundane rat race I was in at that moment - NYC rush hour is the ultimate in "following." It did sort of make me want to break free of it all and run for the exits though. LOL

So, today's post is about the fact that many fans out there are making assumptions about what the new record is going to sound like based on this first single. Ahh...but remember what they say about the word ass-u-me. I, myself, am just going to patiently wait (ok ... well, probably not so patiently) to hear what the boys have prepared for our listening pleasure.

I have learned that sometimes first impressions can be wrong and that making generalizations often leads to revelation, and sometimes regret, a bit later. So, in celebration of things not always being what they may seem, here's a video of one of my all-time favorite "rockers" (both the song and the band. haha) I love this video - HRH not wanting to get off the stage and the discussion of what song they should do. I still laugh every time I watch it.



side note: I also have a particular love for this song as it is part of my "Bon Jovi's Guide to Non-Profit Management" seminar that I've presented several times. And, no I'm not kidding! Wouldn't Jon Bon Jovi be happy to know that his songs are being used to help people who have devoted their careers to the non-profit sector?

Here are a few of the individual sessions:
-- "Livin' on a Prayer" (the challenges of a start-up non-profit organization)
-- "Right Side of Wrong" (getting your documents - bylaws, 501c3 status, etc. in place)
-- "Destination Anywhere" (developing a strategic plan)
-- "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" (dealing with the huge issue of staff burnout)
-- "Good Guys Don't Always Wear White" (looking for funding from non-traditional sources)
-- "Keep the Faith" (surviving the evolution of the organization thru "founder's syndrome")

I gotta tell you ... nothing helps you get thru a long day of seminars like some fantastic music! :-)

Well, time to get back to the grind ... oooooh ... coffee ... ok, another cup of coffee and THEN back to work! LOL

"Follow" Up ... get it? ... LOL

Sorry ... was that a bad blog post title? Anyway ...

I was sort of surprised to not have more comments this morning after posting the new single last night ... usually fans are so outspoken ... hmmm.....

Well, I have been silent long enough (what was that ... about 6 hours? LOL)

So ... here are my thoughts ... I heard it last night for the first time (like just about everybody else) ... and on first listen I will admit I was slightly disappointed, though not surprised. I'm trying to balance what I know/assume/surmise about the music industry with what I want to hear as a fan and musician. Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora are great storytellers...and that is what I love to hear.

Now, don't get me wrong ... there is an obvious implied message and an optimism that I like in this song ... yes, its going to be fun live - I was already shouting "yeah. yeah. yeah ... oh yeah" - but I found it too simplistic for my tastes and dare I say, predictable.

Still ... I am dyin' to hear the rest of the record because I know its usually that obscure track - the one that has no hope whatsoever of being a single - that I end up falling in love with.

P.S. There was a discussion over at another blog about the lack of implied meaning with the title of the album ... I completely disagree ... what do you think?

So ... what do you think ....?

Alrighty ... by now, many (if not all) of you have heard the new single already. So, hey, you always read what I write, its my turn to hear what YOU have to say.

Though I will just say this one thing ... I love Jon Bon Jovi's absolute shout-out to Sister Mary with "this one's about the one who curses and spits" :-)















P.S. ... and talk about "when life is a bitter pill to swallow" ... you should see these horse pills that are required when you have radiation. And to Joviland, yes, they do deliver them wearing hazmat suits! Hmmm ... there must be a better way ...

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ohhhhh...okay... I wasn't gonna post it ... but y'all convinced me ...


UPDATE: well, I did post it ... but it seems the record company is pulling all the videos promoting the song ... SORRY ... but if you go over to Hath's blog I am pretty sure she has it there ... :-)

Proof ... (today's random post)

If anyone ever wonders why Jon Bon Jovi gets the reaction he does from people (ok, clarification...from women) just watch the opening of this video...



...ummm...yeah...he knows EXACTLY what he's doing...

Soul Poll #1

So, in light of the Soul "situation", I thought that the next poll should somehow be related ... so here it goes.

We Got It Going On
There is no song that symbolizes the AFL more than this one of course. Used as the theme song for the League, you can't help but hear it and think of arena football. (I can't help seeing Jon Bon Jovi's smiling face when I would hold up my Destination Arenabowl sign...LOL...or at least I THINK he was smiling...)



Neurotica
Thought I'd put it up against this song ... but how does that relate to the Soul you ask? Some of you may not realize that it was on the cd that the AFL released in 2004 called "There's a Rumble in the House." (hmm...maybe that should be the next poll, the two Jon vs John commercials ... )

Anyway, I have always really liked this song ... not sure why they chose to include it on the cd (well, I have my theories, but ...) nonetheless, here it is.



Note: I purposely used a non-performance video of WGIGO so that we're doing song vs song. If anybody has a LIVE video of Neurotica, let me know!!

For Katherine

Just sit back, listen, close your eyes and say a prayer.



Rest in Peace KK.

August 7 4:15.

(added after posting) I realize that maybe this needs explanation? This song was written after the tragic death of Katherine Korzilius, the daughter of long-time Bon Jovi road manager/friend/problem-solving guru, Paul (aka PK.)

Just the Beginning...

So, I'm in the process of putting together a photobook of my beloved, now-defunct Philadelphia Soul. Thought I'd share a couple of images and memories along the way ...

Our very own "energizer bunny" ... Ron (Jaws) Jaworski signing autographs and greeting fans in the parking lot prior to the New York Dragons away game ...

One of my favorite memories ... the press conference welcoming Chris Jackson to the team. C&P's treated us very well (meaning we had crab fries for DAYS.) It was a fun, laid-back affair and kicked the season off to a great start.

Jon Bon Jovi and Craig Spencer introduce what we lovingly referred to as the 5th Anniversary "slogo" ... it was a slogan, it was a logo ... it was a SLOGO! [sorry RL, we gave you a bit of a hard time about that one ;-)]

Philadelphia Soul fans invade Dragons territory ...

The ceremony before "Heroes Night" one of the many themed game experiences the SSAB and the Soul worked to launch last season (admittedly to mixed success.)














More to come ... including last season's Open Tryouts, the ice-skating party, the ArenaBowl and when we DEMOLISHED Dallas on a hot, sticky night in the Spectrum! :-)

Well, That Says It All...

The front/ONLY page of the Philadelphia Soul website ...





















P.S. I am working on an extended post with pictures and, of course, my brand of "commentary" ...

The Jukes (part 2) and a Rare BJ Video

Okay ... so a few more words about the Southside show the other night...

As I said in Part 1, Stas and I were basically on top of Jeff Kazee as you can see from this picture.

When he was playing on the Bon Jovi HAND tour, you really couldn't hear his particular brand of genius all that much, but in the Jukes setting his keyboard prowess is completely on display. And what a display it was the other night!

First off, the guy is extremely amusing - playing backwards (literally! standing with his back to the keys and playing away), "surfing" on top of the railing during "On the Beach" (one of their fun party songs) and "quoting" other songs during his solos. That last point is a personal favorite of mine and always makes me laugh - Jeff was definitely in a "Christmas in July" mood as he kept interspersing holiday songs in different places. Secondly, he just makes sure everyone around him is having a good time.


To say that when you're at a Jukes show, everybody gets really comfortable would be an understatement. LOL (yes, those are Jeff's feet) ... But, that's why I love to go see them. Its a fun atmosphere. Jukesfans aren't psycho (sorry, but y'all know there are some "interesting" Jovifans out there...) And, you're guaranteed to have a lot of laughs because Southside doesn't seem to have a filter between his brain and his mouth while on stage ... so there are ALWAYS some hysterically funny moments.

Oh, and before I forget ... for those who were at the Starland Mastercard Roots of Rock soundcheck ... oh I mean the fan club show (sorry, was that mean? LOL - just kidding Jon we had a FANTABULOUS time!) ... you may recognize bass player John Conte. He can REALLY groove! (and does a pretty good robotic dance impression, too!)



In any case, once again I can blame Jon Bon Jovi for making me lose sleep...

because Jon was the one who introduced me to Southside ...

see where I'm going here? LOL
(see previous "blame Jon" post)

But, man, what a great time!











P.S. Going thru YouTube looking for a good clip of "Walk Away Renee" (since I mentioned it in my last post), take a look at what I found!



P.S. All Jukes pictures courtesy of KTFCoyote!